Promoting learning for children with autism: some schools may not be fully prepared to provide the learning environments required by the growing number of autistic children.

Autism was once considered to be a rare disorder. Today, the condition is so prevalent that almost everyone is familiar with the term "autism," and most of us know someone with the diagnosis.

It is widely accepted today that autism spectrum disorders affect approximately 1 in 166 children in our nation. In our own state, autism cases have increased four-fold over the past decade for the California Department of Developmental Services. According to the California Department of Education, between 1992-93 and 2002-03 the number of children with autism enrolled in our schools…